Landscape Architecture: The Latest Architecture and News

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Beijing-based landscape architect Kongjian Yu has been announced by the Cultural Landscape Foundation as the recipient of the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize (“Oberlander Prize”). Kongjian Yu has gained international recognition for his concept of “sponge cities,” a measure to address and prevent urban flooding in the context of accelerated climate change. The concept was adopted as a national policy in China in 2013, prioritizing large-scale nature-based infrastructures such as wetlands, greenways, parks, canopy tree and woodland protection, rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavements, and bioswales. Yu has been selected by the international jury of the Oberlander Prize, recognizing him as “a force for progressive change in landscape architecture around the world.” Organized biannually, the prize aims to recognize and give visibility to landscape architecture and the ways in which it can address issues of climate change and sustainability.

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A type of wetland that provides an incredible carbon-storing capacity. This could be an excellent way to describe a peatland. Found in practically every climate zone in the world, this type of ecosystem is much more than this short description, as it plays an important role in mitigating the climate crisis. But what is it, and how can we use it responsibly?

In 2018, Archi-Tectonics NYC and !Melk were announced as the winners of a competition to develop a masterplan transformation for the Hangzhou Asian Games Park 2022. Spanning 116 Acres, the now-completed project includes an expansive Eco Park and seven buildings. Although its initial purpose was to serve as a venue for the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022, the team extended its vision far beyond this event, charting a new path for the city’s environmental future.

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The newly transformed Tom Lee Park by Studio Gang and SCAPE Architects reopened this weekend to the public. Located alongside the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis, the 31-acre park is a centerpiece of the city’s riverfront. As an essential zone included in Studio Gang’s six-mile masterplan for the riverfront, the design will serve as a model of the restored natural ecology of urban parks.

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The photographic archive of landscape photographer and architect Alan Ward has been recently gifted to the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). The collection features 110 Portfolios composed of approximately 2,500 images of parks, estates, memorials, gardens, university campuses, cemeteries, museums, and botanical gardens, taken in 12 different countries, and captured by Alan Ward, a principal at the Boston-based firm Sasaki and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

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“Our fellows have shown courage, written books, founded mission-driven non-profits, created new coalitions, and disseminated new tools,” said Cindy Sanders, FASLA, CEO of OLIN, in her introduction of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership program at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

Sanders highlighted the results of a five-year assessment of the LAF fellowship program and its efforts to grow the next generation of diverse landscape architecture leaders. The assessment shows that past fellows are shaping the future of the built environment in key public, non-profit, and private sector roles.

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Ever since the birth of our cities, we’ve made sure to protect the green spaces within them. Civilizations as far back as the Romans built expansive parks in the heart of the city with ‘Rus in Urbe’ – translating as ‘Country in the City’ – still referenced today. In order to control the urbanization boom of the mid-20th century, meanwhile, greenbelt policies across many European cities literally ring-fenced the natural environments surrounding them, making air quality and easier access to nature a part of city life.

The post-pandemic city, however, is a new breed of conurbation, and these city parks and greenbelts are no longer enough. As we migrate away in search of greener, healthier climes, the cities we’re leaving are evolving, proving they can be green too by exchanging lesser-used black surfaces of roads and structures for natural grass- and parkland. These four projects from across Europe transform unused city spaces back into the natural and regenerative green environments they once were.

After years of dominance, orthogonal lines and right angles are giving way to organic designs and rounded shapes within interior design projects. This profound shift in formal language has led to the infiltration of gentle curves and amorphous volumes into design pieces, furniture, and decorative elements, a transformation that's becoming increasingly evident. Some argue that this change may be indirectly linked to the growing interest in sustainability and the pursuit of strategies that reconnect people with nature, as seen in the consistent presence of biophilia across projects of various scales. The period of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic further heightened this inclination, prompting individuals to devise ways to incorporate nature into their living spaces, thereby enhancing well-being in day-to-day life.

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As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the relationship between nature and design has taken on a renewed significance. Residential design projects that intertwine with natural elements are shown to encourage a sense of tranquility in the inhabitants and the surrounding environment. Moreover, the integration of greenery, specifically through gardens, flourishing landscapes, or complete forest and hillside integrations, can be a powerful testament to the coexistence of human habitation and the natural world.

It is well known that exposure to more green spaces and cleaner air has profound impacts on human health and psychology. This kind of exposure has been linked to reduced stress, improved cognitive function, and enhanced creativity. These sanctuaries offer relief, allowing the human to reconnect with the natural world. These residential homes are often a refuge from busy city life, ranging from vacation homes to retirement homes. Moreover, as the global call for sustainable practices becomes more pressing, the role of natural elements in architecture becomes imperative.

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Far beyond its decorative features, landscaping brings with it biological and cultural issues that need to be addressed in projects. However, what can be seen in most public, residential, condominium, commercial and business gardens is a series of approaches that distance landscaping from all its attributes, reducing it to a decorative layer in the construction. Next, we have put together strategies to avoid the main problems of landscape design, joining aesthetics with its environmental and cultural possibilities.

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Ghisellini Architects, in collaboration with Lucrezia Alemanno and Paolo Beniamino De Vizzi has unveiled the redevelopment and complete redesign project for the new Piazza Francesca Cabrini in Livraga, Italy. Located about 45 kilometers southeast of Milan, the municipality of Livraga set out to transform the currently degraded public space and transform it into an attractive gathering place with site-specific environmental and landscaping features. Construction is expected to begin in August 2023 and is scheduled for competition in 2024.

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Biophilia, or love for life and nature, inspires architects around the world to create spaces that deeply connect with natural elements. These architectural projects seek to reintroduce nature into built environments, resulting in spaces that promote well-being, health, inspiration, and even productivity. In Brazil, the possibilities are even broader, given the country's exuberant climate and the vegetation found in various biomes. In this article, we will explore seven projects from different programs that embrace this concept and allow for a symbiosis between architecture, humans, and nature.

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Sauerbruch Hutton has won the competition for Headquarters 2 (HQ2) for the Haidenauplatz Quarter in Munich. This high-rise building will be the focal point of the newly developing Haidenauplatz district in Eastern Munich. Serving as HypoVereinsbank's second central location, it will stand alongside the iconic Hypo high-rise from the 1970s in the neighboring Bogenhausen district. The design by Sauerbruch Hutton and landscape architect MDP Michel Desvigne Paysagiste was chosen from a pool of nine other international participants.